Old Friends, New Lovers?
by DeeMarie426
Summary: Chasity Gains is a stripper living and working along the Las Vegas strip. What will happen when an old friend finds her and figures out the biggest secret she's ever kept in her entire life? Dean Ambrose/OC
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own, nor know, nobody you recognize in this story. This is just a whole wrapped, made up, scenario I came up with in my head.**

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**Author's Note: Alright guys, here's the new story I've been talking about in the A/N's of USFHP! Hopefully you all like it. Just a quick warning, it's gonna be a little edgy right from the start. Anyway, feel free to let me know what you all think! :)**

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**Prologue**

Chasity Nicole Gains stood before the vanity in her bathroom, applying her last bit of makeup. It was two-thirty and she had an hour to get to work. Normally she wouldn't have to go in until five PM, sometimes later, depending on her schedule, but her boss had called her and demanded she be in early today. His tone told her he wasn't kidding, and she was afraid if she was even a couple minutes late she may get fired. She couldn't afford to lose her job, so after hanging up her phone, she quickly jumped in the shower and started getting ready to go to work.

She made sure she locked up her apartment before walking down the Vegas strip to the strip club she was currently employed at. Living and working on the strip was not exactly ideal, but it was the best she could do right now. The landlord of her apartment was the only one willing to give her a break and take a 'pay cut' in rent so she could afford to live in the area. She also hated her job, but it was the only one available when she was job searching.

* * *

Entering the establishment she worked in, Chasity self-consciously pulled her short skirt down a little further on her thighs. She took one last deep breath before heading toward her boss's office. She waved at her best friend, who was tending to the bar. She gave her a confused look as she glanced at her watch and mouthed 'What are you doing here?' Chasity just shrugged before she disappeared down the hallway into the darker confines of the building, out of her friend's sight. She quickly found her boss's office and knocked on the door. "Come in," was the deep reply from the opposing side of the door.

Upon turning the knob and pushing the door open, she saw a scene she wasn't expecting. In the room with Mr. Smith, her boss, were two big, burly men she had never seen in, or around, the club before. They were much bigger than her. She stood at just over five feet; they stood at least a whole head above her and held the most intimidating glares on their faces. "Ahh, Ms. Gains, just the girl I was waiting for. Come in, come in. Have a seat," he said, pointing to a chair on the opposing side of his desk. Chasity sat down nervously in the seat he had pointed her to. "I'm sure you recognize Mr. Johnson and Mr. Stevens from around the club, right?" Chasity shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I can't say that I do." Mr. Smith chuckled.

"Well, after tonight, you'll have no problem recognizing them. They've been watching you for awhile, and they've requested a private show. I suspect you'll have no problem doing that, right?" Chasity shrugged.

"No, no problem. I'll take them to the private room and get to work, I guess." She stood up ready to lead the two patrons to the private room, but Mr. Smith stopped her one last time before she completely exited the office.

"Oh and, Ms. Gains, I expect they'll get _whatever_ they request. Understood?" Chasity nodded and led the two out of the office to the private room.

* * *

As they entered Chasity flipped on the light and set up all the random props around the room that she could possibly need for this show. She hated these private shows, but it was part of her job, so she had to suck it up and perform. "Okay, so what show do you guys..." Chasity trailed off as she turned around. The sight before her left her speechless. Both guys had stripped out of their shirts and shorts and stood before her in nothing but their boxers.

Upon further observation of both guys she noticed both guys are bulky; without an ounce of muscle on their bodies. All the bulk was fat. She had no idea which one was Mr. Johnson and which one was Mr. Stevens, she only knew one guy had bleach blonde hair, with ghost white skin; the other had dark black hair and olive skin. They were complete opposites.

Chasity couldn't say, or do anything. She was in complete shock, her boss's words ringing through her brain: 'They get _whatever_ they request. Understood?' The darker of the two men took a few steps toward her. Out of instinct, she stepped back away from him until she bumped into the wall behind her and couldn't step back any further. The guy gave her a gut churning grin as he wrapped an arm around her thin waist. "Where ya' goin', pretty mama" Chasity was repulsed by the nickname, but she bit her tongue from giving a snide response, once again, her boss's final words ringing in her head.

She felt the guy pull her off the wall as he turned her so that she had her back to the other man. Hooking his finger under her chin he locked his lips with hers as the other man ran his hands up and down her arms.

The entire thing happened so quickly she had no idea when she had lost all her clothes, but she had. Now she stood between both men, each one caressing a different part of her body and for some messed up reason her body was actually responding. She hated it. She disliked everything about being stuck in the midst of a three-some.

This job was not what she had pictured her adult life would be when she was growing up, and neither was the outcome that would come. Her entire life was currently, clearly totally screwed up, and she had never imagined it would take just one old friend, who she hadn't seen since high school, to fix it.


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note: Here's chapter one! As you'll figure out at the end of this chapter, he'll be in the next chapter, I promise. Then you'll get a little bit of a better idea which direction this story is going. :)**

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**Chapter One**

Chasity leaped out of her bed and darted for the bathroom in a mad dash. She made it to the toilet just before the contents of her stomach. Leaning over the edge of the porcelain bowl, she dry heaved. This had become her new morning ritual, and she absolutely hated it!

Once the dry heaving finally ceased, Chasity leaned back, waiting for her stomach to settle down a bit before she stood up and walked over to the sink. She put toothpaste on her toothbrush and quickly brushed her teeth before stripping out of her night clothes and starting a shower. She had to get ready for her day if she was going to go to her new monthly doctor's appointment before work.

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Stepping out of the shower a half hour later Chasity caught a side-profile view of herself in the bathroom mirror. Sighing she ran her hand over her slowly expanding waist line. It had been a month since she found out the three-some her boss had more-or-less forced her into resulted in a pregnancy, and subsequently, of course motherhood, in less than nine-months. It had been a month and Chasity was still struggling to come to grips with the news. So much so, she had contemplated everything from abortion to adoption. She ruled out the abortion option as soon as she researched it. It was such a repulsing and disgusting process. She could never put a child through that; even if the law said a 'fetus' wasn't yet a child. She wasn't that cold hearted. In her eyes, if it had a heartbeat, it was a human.

As for adoption, she hadn't fully or officially ruled it out yet, but she was slowly beginning to decide against it. She never was one for giving things up easily, and she just couldn't see being able to give up her own flesh and blood; especially not since she had started to feel the baby move within her. It was such a weird, yet unique feeling.

She had kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone thus far. At first it was because she wasn't sure if she was keeping the baby. Then when she'd ruled out abortion, and all but permanently threw adoption on the sidelines, it was because she realized if she told anyone, she'd likely lose her job and now that she was pregnant, she definitely couldn't afford for that to happen.

As she got further along in her pregnancy people had begun to point out her weight gain, but she'd always just lie and tell them she'd been pigging out a lot lately, and not exercising like she use to, so it was causing her to gaining a little weight. It wasn't a complete lie. She use to exercise every day, but she slowed down when she found out she was pregnant. Not because she wanted to, but because she never had enough energy. So was always so drained after work, and in the morning she could never motivate herself to get to the gym. So far, nobody had picked up on, or called her out on her lie; not even her best friend. But she knew it was only a matter of time before someone did.

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Quickly getting dressed, she rushed to her doctor's appointment. Walking into the office she approached the desk and smiled at the receptionist. "Chasity Gains, I'm here to see Doctor Mitchel." The receptionist smiled back at her. "I'll let her know you're here. You can have a seat. A nurse will be out to take you back to an exam room as soon as she's ready." Chasity nodded and went to sit down.

Grabbing a magazine to keep occupied, Chasity began leafing through it. She was more so looking at the pictures than actually paying any attention to the articles. A nurse finally emerged from the back of the office and called her name informing her Doctor Mitchel was ready to see her. She followed the nurse into and examination room. The nurse quickly weighed her and took her blood pressure. Marking Chasity's chart, she placed it in the holder on the door before telling Chasity that Doctor Mitchel would be right with her, and leaving the room.

Doctor Mitchel walked in after about five minutes. "Hello, Ms. Gains, how are you feeling today?" Chasity smiled at her doctor.

"I'd be feeling better if the morning sickness would finally end, but I know I'm one of the lucky ones because from what I've read, usually morning sickness tends to last all day." The doctor nods.

"That's very true. You're close to the end of the first trimester, so your morning sickness should cease fairly soon. Let's check you out and see how the little one is making out so far."

* * *

They finished up the check up and to Chasity's relief she and the baby both checked out perfectly. Her favorite part of every visit was listening to the heart beat. It was such a unique sound, and it let her know the baby was still there, and doing well. Doctor Mitchel put the heart Doppler away and smiled at Chasity as she wiped the sticky gel used for the Doppler off her stomach. "Well, you're fourteen weeks right now, which in terms of months, puts you at three-in-a-half, so the next time you come in you'll be eighteen weeks. That's far enough along to see what the sex is, if you should choose to do that," Doctor Michel explained marking things down on Chasity's chart. "Either way, I'm going to have the receptionist set you up for an ultrasound because we always do one at the eighteen week mark just to check on the fetus and make sure it's growing properly. No need to make a decision right now about whether you want to know, you can decide appointment. If the baby's in the proper position to tell, the ultrasound tech will ask you if you want to know, so you can tell them then," Doctor Mitchel told her. "Do you have any questions?"

Chasity shook her head. "Nope, I think you covered all of it. Thanks."

"No problem, sweetie. Go ahead and make your appointment on your way out," Doctor Mitchel told her, following her out of the exam room.

Chasity made her appointment and then headed home. By this point in the day she had just enough time to go home, take a nap and then prepare for work, so that's just what she did.

* * *

Chasity woke up from her nap with just enough time to get dressed and head for work. She was still not ready to reveal her pregnancy to anyone, so she grabbed a sparkly blue shirt that was a size too big and pulled it on over top of her short denim skirt and topped the outfit off with a pair of white wedge heels.

She arrived at work right on time. Punching in she walked up to the bar and took her place beside Tara, her co-worker and best friend. "Hey girl, who still needs to be served," Chasity questioned. Tara looked up from filling a patron's beer and, as she slid it across the bar to the await customer, smiled at Chasity.

"Hey, everyone's good at the moment, but the guy with dirty blonde, all the way at the very end of the bar should be ready for a refill any minute." Chasity nodded and glanced to the end of the bar to see which guy Tara was referring to. Her mouth fell open when she saw the guy and immediate recognized him. She hadn't seen him in years; to be more accurate, she hadn't seen him since her senior year in high school! She knew he'd followed his dreams and became a huge WWE star, but she didn't know anything more then that. But it didn't matter that she didn't know anymore then that because she knew he was a WWE star, so the true question here is what the hell is he doing in Las Vegas? Shouldn't he be out touring the world and performing for millions, instead of sitting in a Vegas bar drinking beer like people with nine to five jobs do? Why is he sitting at the end of the bar she was a bartender at, about ready for a refill on his beer? Chasity wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but she had a feeling she was going to find out, whether she wanted to or not.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: Just a quick reminder: as in my other story, anything that sounds like a "fact" is taken from interviews and Q&A's with Ambrose(most from his Moxley days) that are on the internet.**

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**Chapter Two**

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Jon sat at the bar nursing the last of his beer. He hadn't drunk more than one beer in about a year. Anyone who knew him knew that was a victory in and of itself. Back in his Indy wrestling days he used to practically live on alcohol and Ramen Noodles due to a lack of money. The matches he participated in didn't pay much, and he didn't have a "regular" job. Wrestling was all he ever wanted to do, so he lived on whatever money he got from it.

When he had arrived at the bar he only intended on having just one beer, but as he sat at the bar he decided he'd drink as many as he wanted. It was still fairly early Wednesday evening; roughly 8:30PM, and he wasn't due back on the road until Friday. He could drink a little bit and relax without any issues, as long as he didn't do it while on the road for work. He never realized what his night would end up turning into, though.

Drinking the last mouthful of the dark yellow liquid, he held the glass up to signal to one of the bartenders he was ready for another. "Chas, can you get that refill for me, please," Jon heard the one call to the girl standing closest to him. The girl cautiously approached him, swiped his empty glass from in front of him and quickly replaced it with a full glass before walking away from him. No greeting, no parting words. She just took the empty glass and quickly snatched the empty one. Jon thought it was rather rude of her, but he decided to let it slide and focus his attention on the new beer she had placed before him.

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When the guy at the end of the bar requested a refill and Tara asked her to get it, she was nervous. Initially Chasity wasn't positive it was who she thought it was. She thought maybe she was just being silly and it was someone who looked like him, but as she approached him to refill his beer and observed him better there was definitely no mistaking it; it was most definitely Jon. Yes, his hair was substantially shorter since the last time she saw him, and he had a ton more muscle mass from working out for work now than he did then, but it was absolutely him.

She placed the new full glass in front of him and quickly snatched his empty glass without saying a word to him; she didn't even make eye contact with him. She knew not saying anything to him was rude of her, but she hadn't seen him in ten years! She had no idea what she was supposed to say to him? He hadn't even acknowledged her when she put his beer down, which told her he didn't recognize her anyway. She shook the thoughts out of her head and went to help another customer at the other end of the bar.

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Jon sat with his new beer in front of him as he watched the rude bartender. She looked familiar to him, but he had no idea why. He watched her head for the exit as he quickly downed the last of the beer from the glass and pushed it away for the other bartender to grab off the bar before he stood up and followed the familiar girl out the door. He glanced around the vicinity and saw her standing against the wall, her head rested back against it as her hands rested on her slightly protruding stomach, her eyes squeezed shut.

Jon studied her further as he cautiously approached her, as she had earlier in the bar when she was giving him his refill. He didn't want to startle her, but unfortunately, his boots kicked a random piece of broken glass across the walkway, catching her attention. Her eyes shot open and locked with Jon's icy blue ones. That was when the realization hit him. He knew where he knew her from.

Chasity quickly pulled herself off the wall, her hands dropping to her sides, and clenching into slight fists. It may have been ten years, but she still had a hunch he hadn't changed much, so she knew he wouldn't hurt her; that was never his style. But to protect herself, she made the fists at her sides and decided to attempt to keep up her 'rude' charade. She glared at him. "Why did you follow me out here? What are you stalking me now," she questioned. Jon shook his head. "Then why are you out here? Go away!" Jon smirked.

"You know I don't back down that easily, _Chasity,_" he said, emphasizing her name, so she would know he knew exactly who she was.

Chasity couldn't help the look of shock that washed over her face. She was positive he hadn't recognized her. She had no idea how to respond, so she just stayed frozen. "Didn't think I recognized you, huh? Well, I'll admit, inside I didn't, but after I studied you a little more out here, it clicked." Chasity nodded.

As soon as the shock had completely worn off, Chasity pointed toward the door they came out minutes earlier. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Jon, but my co-worker is probably looking for me. I told her I was only coming out for five minutes for some air, so I have to get back in there," Chasity told him, walking back toward the door. Jon silently followed her back inside and retook his seat at the end of the bar. Chasity slid another beer in his direction and then headed to a back room. Jon had no idea where she went but he had an uneasy feeling. He fought it down and drank his beer, awaiting Chasity's reappearance.

* * *

Chasity changed into a slight more revealing outfit that consisted of a purple tube top and a tight, short, black leather miniskirt to do her dance routine in. She knew this outfit wouldn't fit her much longer without revealing her secret, but she figured she'd wear it one last time while she could still fit in it before she finally retired it for good. Luckily this would be the only outfit she'd need for the night; as opposed to the three she used to need. Before getting pregnant she use to do three dances, but since she got pregnant she asked her boss if she could cut it back to one routine a night. He agreed, but only under the condition she'd be his "under cover prostitute", as he'd so graciously put it. It made her feel like a common whore every night, but she agreed because she felt she didn't have any other choice; she needed the job to pay for her doctor's visits.

Checking herself over one last time in the mirror she decided she was as good as she was going to get, so she slipped her high heeled wedges back on and walked out of the dressing room to the 'stand by' area located behind the stage, out of the bar patrons view. Peaking out the curtain Chasity saw Jon semi-watching her co-worker, but it was obvious she didn't have his full and undivided attention by the fact he kept stealing glances back at the door she'd disappeared through earlier. He was obviously looking for her.

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Jon couldn't concentrate on the stripper currently performing her dance on stage. He was too worried about Chasity. She'd disappeared several minutes ago and had still yet to come back. He was just about to go looking for her when he realized the girl that had been dancing was no longer on the stage. Instead he looked up and his eyes grew to the size of saucers as they bulged out of his head. Up on the stage he caught sight of Chasity doing a strip-tease dance. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, and had he not been seeing it with his own eyes he wouldn't have believed it. The girl that always wore pants and long sleeve shirts to school; the girl that never wore anything even remotely revealing, that same girl, Chasity, was now stripping for money... for a living. This absolutely shocked him.

Jon had seen enough after about five minutes. No way was a friend of his, the same friend who was so classy back in high school, going to degrade herself like this. Shoving his stool away from the bar he stood up and walked through the same door he'd seen Chasity walk through earlier, anger clear in his stance. He ignored Chasity's co-worker, who was screaming at him, telling him he couldn't go back there because it was for employees only. He didn't care. If they wanted to stop him they'd have to do so physically.

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Chasity finished her dance routine, grabbed her clothing and the tips thrown at her during the dance, and headed back to the dressing room, but before she could get there to redress and return to her job helping Tara behind the bar, Mr. Smith stopped her. "Ms. Gains, follow me," he summonsed her. Chasity took a deep breath and swallowed hard. She knew where he was leading her, but she followed behind him silently. What else could she do? She had no choice. She'd agreed to do this in exchange for one dance a night, and that's what she'd have to stick to.

Neither Chasity nor Mr. Smith were aware Jon had heard the older man's order to Chasity and he was silently following behind them, hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit hallway they were walking in.


	4. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short, but I promise the chapters will start to get longer soon.**

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**WARNING: There is a bit of sexual content in this chapter!**

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**Chapter Three**

Jon remained hidden in the shadows of the dark hallway as he watched Chasity follow this guy, who was apparently her boss, into a room marked 'VIP Guests and Employees only' in big, bold letters. Given the words adorning the sign Jon didn't want to totally trespass, so he leaned against a wall that kept him hidden from sight, but was just close enough be able to hear exactly what was going on inside the room. Luckily for him, the boss guy made it even easier for him because he didn't close the door all the way. Keeping his footfalls silent, Jon inched just a little closer to the slightly ajar door and peaked in, careful not to put himself in plain sight of anyone. What he saw angered him further, but he reminded himself that he couldn't fly off the handle. He had to control himself no matter how appalled he was. He didn't need to be arrested tonight; Vince, Stephanie and Paul would kill him.

* * *

Chasity followed Mr. Smith into the same room she'd been coming to for the past four-in-a-half months. She knew what was coming and she absolutely hated it. "Well, Ms. Gains, you've been doing this long enough that by now I trust you know what you're doing, so I'll leave you to it," Mr. Smith announced, ripping her still discarded clothing out of her hands. "You won't need these until you're done, so I'll be holding them. When you've finished up here come find me. I have other matters I need to discuss with you," he told her, exiting the room. This time he pulled the door completely shut behind him.

* * *

Jon quickly re-hid behind a wall out of the guy's line of sight when he announced he was leaving the room. Once he was sure the jackass was gone, he re-approached the door. Gently he turned the knob getting the door to quietly unlatch. Peaking back into the room his anger only intensified. He couldn't believe Chasity had been doing this for months. She was completely reserved as a teenager in high school. Jon just couldn't understand what the fuck would possess her to sell her body? He wasn't sure he'd ever understand it, but he did know he wasn't leaving until she explained all of it.

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Chasity was shoved onto the leather sofa in the room. The good thing about tonight was that she only had one guy to deal with, so she at least had that going for her. Her new acquaintance wasted no time as he unhooked her bra and pulled down her panties, the only articles of clothing she currently had because her boss had taken the rest, and he plunged his index and middle fingers into her. She felt herself grow wet as he continued and she hated not only her body's betrayal, but her hormones as well. Ever since she got pregnant whenever she found herself being forced into these situations her hormones would always manage to help her body betray her thanks to her pregnancy. It totally sucked! She didn't want to feel an orgasm rip through her body while she was begin violated, but her body clearly didn't care.

She was ripped from her thoughts as she felt the no-named guy with jet black hair and dark brown eyes shift his positioning. Clearly he was finished with the foreplay portion of the encounter as he plunged his rock hard cock deep inside her. She gasped, not expecting the deep intrusion this quickly, but he apparently thought it was for something different. "Yeah, you like it rough, don't you? Your boss made sure I knew," he panted heavily between rough thrusts. Chasity just bit her lip and kept quiet as the sleazebag continued his rough sexual assault on her body.

* * *

Jon stood at the door throughout the entire encounter, and as he forced himself to listen he realized one thing was clear, Chasity wasn't selling her body on her own accord. There was a deeper reason behind this. There had to be! He'd seen girls sell their bodies and he knew those that sold their bodies for the 'fun' of it didn't sit completely silenced throughout the entire sexual encounter, nor did they avoid pleasing the guy with foreplay. Chasity was completely silenced, and from what he saw before the door was shut by her boss, she didn't wanna get close to the client at all, let alone touch him. Those are definitely not signs of a ready and willing sexual participant.

Jon didn't know why Chasity was stripping, or selling her body, but he did know just from watching that she hated it. As her friend he refused to just ignore this. It may have been ten years since they had talked, but that didn't mean he didn't care. It was quite the contrary, actually. He decided he was going to find out her secrets and help her survive them if it was the last thing he did because that's what friends do; that's what friends are for!


	5. Chapter Four

**Author's Note: Whelp, I'm a little late, and there's technically only a little less than 2 hours left of the day, but today the star of this story turned 28, so I figured I'd update. :) Enjoy.  
**

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**Chapter Four**

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When things inside the room finally ended, Jon stepped to the side of the door out of plain sight, but he didn't go back into hiding. Instead, he stood outside the room waiting for Chasity to emerge. He hated listening to the noises that were escaping the room, but he had absolutely refused to leave every time the little voice in his head would tell him he should. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall behind him. Distracted by his own thoughts he failed to hear Chasity exit the room until he heard her say his name.

* * *

Chasity put her panties and bra back on and reached for the remainder of her clothing when she remembered Mr. Smith had taken it, telling her to come see him when she finished with her "job". Sighing, she quickly exited the room with every intention of going to find Mr. Smith and getting her clothing back so she could finally return to helping Tara behind the bar. However, before she even got three feet out the door she caught the sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. Thinking Mr. Smith had just decided to wait outside the door, she turned in the direction of the movement, but she was shocked when she came face-to-face with Jon instead of Mr. Smith. He was leaning against a wall behind him, totally lost in thought. She was sure he hadn't heard her come out of the room. "Jon, what the hell are you doing back here?" He wasn't supposed to be back here; this area was reserved for VIP's and employees only! She was so shocked by his presence she totally forgot she was wearing nothing but her underwear.

* * *

Jon jumped at the sound of her voice saying his name. Opening his eyes he couldn't help but look Chasity up and down. He didn't mean to, but he was a red blooded, straight male, and Chasity was undeniably gorgeous! Clearing his throat and mind he finally found his voice. "After you walked back here and never came back out to the bar I got worried. I was about to follow you when I saw you up on stage performing and I decided I wanted answers, so I walked through the same door you had, and found the 'back stage' area. After you finished your dance, I quietly followed you. I hid when I saw your boss, and followed you back here." Jon paused. This entire thing sounded so bizarre now that he was replaying it back to not only himself, but Chasity as well, but it's exactly what happened. "I managed to remain hidden in the shadows until your boss finally disappeared. Then I listened to the whole ordeal outside the door. I saw the beginning of you encounter with the sleaze. I know this isn't what you want to do just from your body language in that short time, so why are you doing this," Jon questioned.

Chasity hadn't heard his question. She was focused on the fact he'd listened to her have sex with another guy. "You listened to my sexual encounter? What the fuck, Jon? You're not even supposed to be back here, let alone listening in on my private moments. What the hell is wrong with you," she asked angrily, however she realized she was still standing in nothing but her bra and panties, so she never gave him a chance to respond. "You know what, forget it. I don't have time for this right now. I need to go find my boss so I can get my clothes back, and you need to get the hell out of this area before you get thrown out for trespassing. Go back to the bar. I'll be out after I find my boss and get redressed." She tried to shove past him and headed for her boss's office, but he just moved further into her path, blocking her way. Her next move was to try to shove him back toward the exit leading to the bar, but he just shook his head, a smirk adorning his lips.

Chasity dropped her hands off his chest, where she'd placed them when trying to push him, and ran her fingers through her messy hair. She turned so all he could see was a side profile of her as a sigh slipped past her lips. "Please don't do this to me, Jon. I can't handle any more stress right now."

Jon's gaze racked over her entire body again, but this time, as he dragged his eyes back up her body, they stopped on her barely visible baby bump. "You're pregnant, aren't you," Jon questioned. Everything he'd noticed about her throughout the day, the slight weight gain that was only visible in her abdomen, and that could barely be seen from the side, the rubbing of her stomach when they were standing outside, her slightly larger breasts, all of it was starting to make complete sense all of a sudden. This was a girl who wouldn't eat any type of meat fat for fear it would cause her to gain a few pounds; she loved salad and grilled chicken because they were healthy to eat. Even if it had been ten years Jon knew there was no way she had changed all of that without a reason.

Chasity was stunned. She had no idea how he figured it out. She opened and closed her mouth, unsure of how to respond. She could lie, but he'd figure out she was lying. She could tell him the truth. Perhaps the truth would scare him away. But did she want to scare him away? She wasn't sure. She was completely confused.

Without answering his question she turned to leave, figuring she'd take the long route to her boss's office, but Jon reached out grabbing her wrist. "I just want to help you, so please don't shut me out. This place is not somewhere for an expectant mother to be working." he said, releasing her wrist because he could tell she didn't have the energy to ignore him anymore. "And don't try to tell me you're not pregnant because I'm not as dumb as I look. Just let me help you," Jon said, looking her in the eyes. "That's all I want to do, is help you." Chasity just nodded in agreement, afraid if she spoke her voice would crack, giving away all the emotion she had bottled up inside.

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**Author's Note: Happy Birthday, Dean!**

**I promise, after this chapter, it picks up A TON!**


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Note: There was some confusion on why Jon didn't stop the sexual encounter from happening. At the time he thought Chasity was doing it because she WANTED to. It wasn't until things were further along in the encounter he realized she was being forced into it. He also didn't want her to know he had followed her because again, he initially thought she was doing it because she wanted to. Once he realized she wasn't, he didn't hide behind a wall anymore. Hopefully that clears that up a bit for everyone. :)**

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**Chapter Five**

* * *

Jon followed Chasity to her boss's office, but he stayed outside the door. As much as he'd love to beat the hell out of the sick bastard Chasity had begged him to stay outside and keep his head. Barging into her boss's office wouldn't be wise at this point, considering he was in territory he was unauthorized to be in. He had agreed to stay outside the office door and stay hidden, but on the condition, if he heard anything inappropriate he was coming in and he didn't care what consequences he had to deal with. She had no rebuttal to that. If that's what would keep him outside, at least for now, she'd have to agree with it.

* * *

Stepping through the threshold of her boss's office door she felt more confident than she had in years. It was amazing what having a friend who knew what was going on standing behind her did for her. In less than a day Jon had managed to give her confidence nobody else had been able to give her in the last few years. Of course, nobody other than Jon knew her whole life story either. It wasn't something she liked discussing, and nobody knew her current situation either. Jon had also managed to make her feel safer than she had in years. He had said one thing that stuck out in Chasity's mind and she knew she had to do this now.

"Mr. Smith, I did what I needed to do. Now I would like my clothes back then I have something we need to discuss," Chasity told him, grabbing her clothing off the corner of his desk before his outstretched hand had a chance to snatch them out of her reach again. She moved far enough away from him and put them back on. "I should've had this conversation with you a month ago, but I was scared and my confidence and self-esteem were at an all time low. That's not the case anymore. I found and old friend who has helped me realize I shouldn't be doing this to myself, so I want get this off my chest," Chasity told him as she finished putting her clothes on and straightening them into a presentable fashion. She chose her wording carefully because she didn't want to give anything away until he agreed to talk to her. Mr. Smith nodded to the chair sitting on the opposite side of the desk.

"Fine, have a seat and start talking. I don't have time for a long conversation, so don't drag this out." Chasity sat in the chair and folded her hands on the edge of his desk, leaning toward him. She knew Jon was listening outside the door and she knew what she was about to say was going to shock him. He knew she was pregnant, and he knew Mr. Smith had forced her into the earlier sexual encounter, but he had no idea how she'd gotten pregnant. She was hoping when he heard the story, he wouldn't snap and do something stupid.

"Three months ago, when you sent the two guys for their 'private dance', they forced me into a three-some. But I suspect you already know this, judging by your final words right before I left your office immediately before the encounter. In any event, during that three-some, I got pregnant. I have no clue which of the creeps you set me up with is my baby's father, but I do know it's definitely one of them that fathered my baby; I wasn't with anyone else around the conception date."

The further Chasity got into the story, the more nervous she got. Not because of her boss sitting in front of her, but because she kept waiting for the door to burst open and Jon to rush in. So far, he'd kept himself outside the room like she'd asked. "I didn't tell you about the pregnancy right away because I was contemplating having an abortion. But then I researched the procedure and knew I couldn't go through with it, so then I looked into adoption. I haven't officially ruled the route out yet, but I'm almost positive I won't be going that route either. But the reason I'm finally telling you this is because I have grown sick of hiding my pregnancy. I'm also sick of being your sex toy for 'VIP clients.' From here out, it stops. I have no problem dancing, or working the bar, but the 'VIP sex and strip shows' will stop effective immediately. If not, I walk. I can find another job someplace else if I need to."

Mr. Smith didn't budge or say a word. He just kept staring at her. His stare was beginning to cause her new found confidence to falter. He stood up and slowly advanced toward her. She was half-tempted to scream for Jon, but she bit back the temptation. "Did you just give me an ultimatum?" Suddenly Chasity's throat was completely dry, and she couldn't find her voice, confirming her new found confidence was officially shot. She just nodded her head. Mr. Smith laughed maniacally. "Well, you can take the ultimatum and shove it up your ass. I told you when I dropped your performances to one a night that you would do as I tell you. You are my little slut…"

* * *

Mr. Smith never had a chance to finish what he was saying because just what Chasity had been waiting for the entire time finally happened. Jon shoved the door open, causing it to slam back against the wall behind it, and in two quick stride he was in front of Mr. Smith, who was now shoved up against the wall behind his desk; Jon's hand around the older man's throat. "She will not do anything for you unless she wants to. Got it?" Mr. Smith choked out another sick laugh.

"Hey, I've seen you in here before. What's wrong, you want a piece of her, too? I can arrange that for you." Mr. Smith started gasping for air as Jon tightened his grip around his throat a little it.

Jon wanted to punch the jackass in the face, but he knew it would land him in jail. Hell, shoving him against the wall with his hand around his throat squeezing the air out of him probably wasn't the brightest idea either, but he was protecting Chasity, so the irrational part of his brain was in control, and he didn't care about right or wrong right now. Even if that meant he'd have to explain to his boss's why he had been arrested at a strip club. Jon let go of the jackass's throat and watched him drop to the floor at his feet before he turned toward Chasity. "Let's go. You don't need this place. You can find a new job, I'll help you."

Chasity followed Jon out of her now former boss's office and stopped. "Jon, I'm three-in-a-half months pregnant, I have doctor and hospital visits to pay for. I can't just quit on a dime." Jon nodded.

"Yes you can. I'm well aware of your situation, and as I told you in there I will help you; I want to help you." Chasity shook her head.

"I can't ask you to pay for my medical bills, so therefore I need this job." Jon smirked.

"There's the beauty of it, you didn't ask, I offered. As your friend I refuse to leave you in this environment; especially when you're pregnant. I will help you until you're able to find a new job."

Chasity was hesitant, but she knew Jon was right. She had to get out of there, if not for herself, then for her unborn child. "Fine, I'll take you up on your offer as long as you tell me why, after ten years of no contact, you wanna help me?" Jon shrugged.

"Just because we haven't seen each other in years doesn't mean my ability to care has changed, Chasity. We were friends back then, so why can't we go back to being friends again now?" Chasity saw his point and couldn't think of any reason why they couldn't rekindle their friendship.

"I guess you're right, but I still feel weird asking you to help me financially." Jon shook his head.

"Again, you didn't ask, I offered. Would you quit arguing with me about this, I'm paying for your expenses until you find another job and get back on your feet, and that's all there is to it. Now, let's get the hell out of here," Jon said, placing his arm around her shoulders and heading for the exit of the building.

Chasity knew their conversation was over and there was no point trying to get through to him; his mind was already made up. She quietly walked beside him out of the building. Chasity came to a halt next to Jon, who had stopped just outside the door. "Are you hungry?" It seemed like such a random question, but Chasity didn't point that out. Instead she just shrugged.

Jon could already see how much Chasity had changed over the last ten years. She was a lot more stubborn and more independent than she ever was as a teenager. "A shrug doesn't answer my question, so I'll try another question. When was the last time you ate something?" Chasity contemplated his question before realizing she had no answer because she couldn't remember when she last ate.

"I'm not sure." Jon shook his head in disbelief.

"You're pregnant, you can't go without eating like that," he scolded her.

As his words registered in her head, Chasity burst out laughing. Jon was taken aback by her laughter. Chasity held her hands up and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you, but it's funny. I mean, you're telling me this and you're not my boyfriend, or my baby's father, and we've only been back in contact less than three hours, and you're acting all protective and shit. I couldn't help but laugh."

Jon could see where she was coming from and if he was honest, he wasn't sure why, after ten years, he cared about this girl so much, but he did, and he couldn't ignore it and allow her to continue to live like this "You're right I'm not, but we had a good friendship back in high school, and I think we can get that back," Jon told her. "Come on, let's head to get something to eat and we'll talk a bit more, catch up on lost time," Jon said, squeezing her shoulder, where his hand still rested around her neck. They walked like that down the strip, looking for a restaurant to get something to eat at.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Jon led Chasity into a small diner along the strip. By this time it was well past dinner time, so it wasn't very busy. As a result it didn't take the hostess very long to seat them at a table toward the back of the dining room. Despite the fact it was after peak hours, Jon had still requested a table toward the back just in case. He'd never had a fan bother him while he was eating but he wasn't about to chance it; not when he was catching up with an old friend. He had to make sure he and Chasity were able to have this conversation as soon as possible.

Jon slid into the booth the hostess led them to, as Chasity slid in on the opposing side of the table, directly across from Jon. They looked at the menu silently. Pushing her menu away, Chasity decided she wanted chicken wings and a glass of water. "Are you ready to order already," Jon questioned. He had caught her putting down the menu as he glanced over the edge of his own menu. Chasity nodded, folding her hands on the table top in front of her.

Jon quickly selected his food of choice and closed his menu just as their waitress approached their table. "Hello, I'm Sara, and I'll be serving you tonight," the young girl said, making some type of notation on her notepad. "Are you guys ready to order, or do you need a little more time?"

"I'm ready, but I'm not sure he is," Chasity said, eying Jon.

Pushing his menu toward the center of the table he nodded and looked up at Sara. "I'm ready."

"Alright, what can I get for you," she asked. She was focused on Chasity.

"I'll just have the chicken wing platter and a glass of water, please." Sara nodded.

"And for you," she questioned, eying Jon. Jon stacked his menu on top of Chasity's and laid them in front of Sara.

"I'll have the steak and mashed potatoes with a diet coke, please." Sara nodded and scribbled down Jon's order. She picked up the menus Jon had left in front of her.

"I'll be back with your drinks if a few minutes," she told them walking away from the table.

Jon turned his focus to Chasity, who was focused on her folded hands. Jon rested his hand over top of Chasity's folded ones, grabbing her attention. "Okay, so let's start catching up a bit, shall we?" Chasity swallowed and nodded.

"Sure." Jon smiled reassuringly at her.

"Okay, so the last time we saw each other I was just getting started with my wrestling career and you were…" Jon trailed off, remembering what she had been going through the last time they saw each other and how hard Chasity had taken it. Suddenly everything she had done up to this point start falling into place and making sense.

Chasity cringed at the mention of the worst time period in her life. While her best friend was off making a name for himself and starting his career, Chasity was trying to find a way to deal with the fact one of her mom's "boyfriends" had raped her; and on top of that, her mother didn't even seem to care. Jon squeezed her still folded hands. "I know it's not a fun memory, I'm sorry for mentioning it." Chasity gave him a reassuring smile to assure him she was okay with it.

"It's still a rough memory, but I've done my best to work my way passed it over the last several years." She looked away from him, picking at her nails. "It's been hard, but I've made some small progress."

They fell silent as the waitress brought back their drinks and told them their meals would be out shortly. Chasity took a long drink from her glass of water while waiting for the waitress to walk away again. "So, means you mentioned it, I'll ask. How's your wrestling going? I know you made it into the WWE, but have you won any gold yet?" If there was one thing Chasity missed about their friendship it was watching Jon train in the squared circle. Every time he stepped between the ropes you could see just how much he loved it; he was always right at home in the squared circle. The smile that graced Jon's face told her nothing about that had changed in the ten years they had lost contact.

"Well, what's the last thing you remember hearing about?" Chasity thought about it for a minute.

"Last thing I remember hearing was that you had been signed by WWE and would be joining their developmental ranks in Florida under a new ring name." Jon chuckled.

"Wow! That was back a couple years; two-thousand-eleven, if I remember correctly. A lot has taken place since then." Jon paused as Sara set their plates down on the table in front of them and left again. Jon cut into his steak and took a bite. Swallowing, he took a sip of his water before continuing. "I had made my way around the Indie scene, successfully, might I add, for about six-in-a-half years. I did a few dark matches and one minor TV appearance for WWE in two-thousand-six. At one point I thought they were going to sign me, but then that whole drug thing came out, and the guy I had been talking to go fired. After that, it all died down and nothing major came long for a few years. Then they contacted me again about signing in two-thousand-eleven." Jon paused for another bite of his steak and sip of water.

Chasity allowed Jon's words to sink in. She remembered hearing him talk about wanting to make it big in the wrestling business. Just watching him, Chasity never doubted he could fulfill that dream. Swallowing the sip of water she just took to wash down a fry, she smiled at him. "Oh yeah, and how has it been going since then? I heard about you signing, but I've never gotten a chance to watch any of the programming. Obviously, you know I was working nights," Chasity said, as Jon's trademark smirk spread across his face, ignoring her comment about working nights. He didn't want to discuss that right now.

"You are looking at, and sharing dinner with, the WWE's current United States Champion." Chasity's smile spread across her face.

"Oh my goodness, that's awesome! Congrats!" Jon smiled.

"Thanks. I will admit it wasn't as easy as I made it sound. When they first contacted me again in two-thousand-eleven, I was hesitant because it fell through the last time, but I signed my WWE contract in April two-thousand-eleven, and made my way to their developmental program on May twenty-seventh. I didn't debut on TV until July third, and didn't make my official in-ring debut until August fourteenth, against my now tag partner, Colby Lopez; who's ring name is Seth Rollins." Knowing he was throwing a ton of information at her, Jon paused to take another bite of his food and snag a sip of water to wash it down while Chasity processed the information.

"I was in developmental until September of last year when they pulled me to the main roster, where I wrestled in dark matches against other random guys. They were trying to find some type of storyline to place me in so I could make my TV debut as a singles competitor, but it never materialized, so I stayed in dark matches until November of last year when WWE's creative team finally came up with the stable idea, placing me with Colby and our other teammate, Joe Anoa'i; who goes by Roman Reigns in the ring. Together, the three of us make up The Shield." Again Jon paused to eat more of his food while Chasity took in the information.

Chasity loved hearing the pride dripping from Jon's voice as he relived his career thus far. She finished of her meal as she awaited Jon to continue. Putting his glass back down he cleared his throat. "We made our television debut at last November's Survivor Series, interfering in the main event to help the champion retain his title. Our first match as a team was at December's Pay-per-view, TLC: Table, Ladders and Chairs. They put us in a six-man tag tables, ladders, chairs gimmick match. We managed to defeat our opponents and we stayed undefeated until June." Jon paused for the final time to finish off his dinner and take another sip of water. "In May at the monthly pay-per-view, Extreme Rules, they had me win the United States Championship, while Joe and Colby took the tag titles. We've been champions since, and now we're working with Paul Levesque; who goes by Triple H in the ring, Randy Orton, Bryan Danielson; who is Daniel Bryan in the ring, and Paul White, otherwise known as The Big Show to the fans," Jon finally finished.

Chasity smiled. "Wow! You've had an awesome career so far. And if I remember correctly from when I watched with you, Triple H, Big Show, Orton, they're all main eventers. Already in the main event picture and you only just got started," she said, winking at him. "I'm glad you're living out your dream." Jon smiled.

"To confirm it, yes, they are, or were, all main eventers. Triple H married Stephanie McMahon back in two-thousand-three. A couple years ago they named him to a managerial position, so now he does rare matches, and just basically handles the behind the scenes stuff," he confirmed for her. "Oh, and thanks, I'm glad I made it here, too. I'm obviously hoping I go to the top one day, but for now I'm just content being in the WWE because two-in-a-half years ago, I honestly didn't even think they knew or cared that I existed." Jon paused for a moment before continuing. "And now; now I'm working with some of the biggest names in the business and alongside the bosses; which is always a positive sign. Shows they clearly trust Colby, Joe and I to go the extra mile and take over where they left off in their careers, or they wouldn't have chosen us to help in this storyline." Chasity nodded as the table fell silent.

* * *

Chasity sat with her hand holding up her head as they each finished off their drinks. Sara brought the check over and Jon snatched it off the table before Chasity even had a chance to lift a finger. "I'll get this. You relax for a minute. I can tell you're exhausted. I'll pay this and then take you home so you can get some sleep," Jon said getting up from the table and heading to the front counter to pay the bill. He wanted to hear about the last ten years of her life, but she was clearly ready to fall asleep at the table and he knew he had time for that. Everything didn't have to be covered in one night because if he had it his way he was gonna make sure they stayed in touch. He meant it when he said he'd help her out until she got back on her feet, and that would require staying in touch, so they would have plenty of time to catch up at a later time. Tonight he had to get her home to her bed so she didn't fall asleep at the diner's table.

* * *

Jon paid the bill then went back to the table to help Chasity out of her seat. He wrapped his arm around her and allowed her to lean her head on his shoulder to keep her upright. "Let's get you home before you fall asleep at the table," Jon chuckled, leading her out of the diner. He allowed her to shift her weight so she could still lean on him while directing him toward her place so she could get some sleep.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Jon escorted Chasity back to her apartment safely, and waited until she was inside the building before he headed for his own apartment. Entering he tossed his wallet on the coffee table along with his keys before pulling his phone from his pocket and sending a text to Sami. He hadn't talked to Sami in a few weeks, but he had to tell someone about today's adventure and of his three closest friends, Sami was the only one that knew who Chasity was.

* * *

Chasity wasted no time preparing for bed after she got home. She was exhausted and she had another long day ahead of her the next day. She didn't have to worry about work, but she had set up a meeting with an adoption agency. While she was fairly sure she wasn't going to be able to give up the baby she had to weigh and exhaust every option before she was able to make her absolute final decision.

* * *

While Chasity was snoozing away, Jon was talking to Sami about her. Not about anything bad, they were just discussing everything that had happened ten years ago. Jon was closer to Chasity than Sami, but being friends with Jon had automatically made him friends with Chasity back then because Jon and Sami were just as close as Jon and Chasity, anywhere one went you could be sure the other wouldn't be far. A lot of people mistook Jon and Chasity for a couple, but they had never dated. But by virtue of being best friends with Jon, Sami ended up being friends with Chasity too, and therefore knew her back story. "So she went from being raped to stripping for a living," Sami questioned.

"Yup, that's basically the gist of it. And the guy who owns the club she was working at is a complete scumbag. I know I'm no saint, and I did some fucked up things to girls in the past in various strip clubs while we were on the road, but this guy takes the fucking cake." Jon exclaimed. Pausing from his story for a moment, Jon took a deep breath as he walked into the kitchen and pulled the fridge open. He was trying to keep his temper in check, so he had to tell this story in 'parts' instead of one long story. "I swear, Sami, I wanted to bash his fucking skull in, but I knew I couldn't because I can't afford an arrest on my record." Jon took a sip of the beer he'd just pulled out of the fridge and swallowed. "Finally, after a little convincing conversation in the hallway, I quickly managed to talk Chasity into just walking out; essentially quitting without warning. I told her I'd handle her finances until she can get back on her feet," Jon told him.

"Are you insane, Jon? How do you know she'll get back on her feet and she won't use and abuse your kindness; mistake it for weakness," Sami exclaimed.

"Oh come on, Sami, you know she wouldn't do that…" Before he could continue Sami cut in.

"No I don't. I haven't seen or heard from this girl in ten years, and neither have you. We have no idea how she changed in those ten years, Jon."

"Sami, trust me, she hasn't changed. Well, not except for the fact she has no self-respect or self-esteem. She's still just as independent now as she was back in high-school," Jon told him, taking another swig from the bottle in his hand. "There's even more to it than that, though dude. The scumbag forced her into what she thought was going to be a 'private dance' for two clients, but he told her the clients were to get whatever they wanted during the dance. She thought he meant they were to get whatever dance they wanted, only when she got to the room for the private dance, they forced themselves on her with her boss's permission." Jon paused, letting Sami digest that info. "So in short, she was forced into an unwanted three-some, and she's now three months pregnant with a scumbag's baby." Sami couldn't bite back the gasp that spilled out of his mouth. "Yeah, exactly, and what's worse is she's not sure which of the two scumbag's it was who supplied the sperm that created the child. I'm not letting her stay an environment that's being run and patronized by scumbags," Jon said.

"Alright, I get it, Jon," Sami said, surrendering the argument.

* * *

Sami and Jon continued to talk about Chasity as well as how Sami's training had been going for awhile before they finally hung up. After finishing their conversation, and hanging up the phone, Jon got ready for bed and laid down thinking about everything that had happened within that day. As he thought about helping Chasity he realized they'd have to set up the arrangement tomorrow because he would be heading back out on tour on Friday, and he'd be gone until the following Wednesday. As he drifted off to sleep his final thought was to call her in the morning and see if they could get together and set up the arrangement for him to help her out until she got back on her feet.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry, this one is a little short, but it's basically just a "filler" chapter that is needed to get from one part of the story to the next. I know it seems to be moving slow, especially compared to how 'fast' I had Unknown Secrets move, but please bear with me. There's a reason for it moving slowly like this. I promise it'll pick up a little bit in the next couple of chapters(around chapter ten, or so) and you won't regret sticking with it.**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

The next morning Chasity woke up to her phone ringing. She was initially going to ignore it, but then she remembered she had her meeting with the adoption agency today and the call may be something important pertaining to that. So she rolled over reaching toward her nightstand, snagging her phone off its charger. Without looking at the ID Caller screen she answered it, still thinking it could be the adoption agency calling. "Hello," she asked, more than stated.

"Hey Chas, did I wake you up," Jon questioned, hearing the sleep laced throughout her voice.

"Jon," she questioned, wiping more sleep from her eyes. She didn't remember giving him her number, so him calling her was a bit surprising and confusing.

"Yes. I woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry." Chasity shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"You did, but it's fine. I have to get up shortly anyway because I have an appointment in a couple hours. But how did you get my number? I don't remember us exchanging numbers last night," she asked, confusion lacing her voice. Jon chuckled.

"Uhh, we didn't. I was walking by the bar earlier and bumped into your friend… Tara, I think, was her name," Jon questioned, but didn't give her a chance to answer. "She had long dark hair and sea green eyes. She was a pretty girl, but definitely not my type. Anyway, she rammed me a new one for ignoring company policy about going back to the back the other day, but then proceeded to thank me for 'saving' you from the jackass. Apparently, you're not the only one working for him that he's been crude to; you're just the only one with anybody willing to help you escape it." Jon finally paused long enough for Chasity to get a word in edgewise.

"Yeah, that's Tara. I'll have to call her later. I haven't talked to her since the day I left that hell hole."

"You'll have to formally introduce us some time. But anyway, the reason I actually called was I wanted to know if I could come over so we could talk about the financial arrangement and get it all set up. I was just gonna come over, but then I figured it'd be a better idea to call first, means I was able to get your number. Good thing I did, given you were still asleep. And yes, I'm aware you hate this idea, but remember you didn't ask me to do this, I offered, and I'm not looking for anything in return, or any of the money back. I have more money right now than I know what to do with, so if I'm helping you get back on your feet, then it's not sitting in an account somewhere going nowhere fast." Chasity chuckled as she pulled a bra and a new outfit out of her dresser before walking into the bathroom.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. As for coming over, you can come over, but give me about fifteen minutes. I'm gonna jump in the shower real fast and get ready for the appointment I have."

Jon cradled his phone between his ear and shoulder as he slipped his shoes on while listening to Chasity. "Alright, I'll be over in a half hour, forty-five minutes then. Don't wanna catch you coming out of the shower," he joked. Chasity shook her head, but laughed despite herself.

"Alright, joker boy, I'll see you in a little bit," she said, hanging up the phone and quickly starting the shower.

* * *

When Jon had said a half hour, forty-five minutes, he wasn't kidding. Chasity had just finished getting dressed when there was a knocking on her front door. As she walked to the door to answer it, she ran her brush through her hair. "Boy, you weren't kidding when you said half hour, forty-five minutes, it's been exactly a half hour; and you were good to wait because I only just finished getting dressed when you knocked on the door." She walked back toward her bathroom to continue brushing her hair.

"See, it's a good thing I gave you the extra fifteen minutes, but as for me being on time, I had no reason to stall. I know you have a meeting in a little bit, and I wanted to get this over with before you have to leave for that. By the way, where exactly are you going for this appointment," Jon called to her, making sure her front door was closed behind him.

"I have a meeting with a local adoption agency," Chasity answered, walking out of the bathroom. She wasn't sure how Jon would react to the fact she was considering giving up her child, so she quickly changed the subject. "I need to eat, do you want anything? We can discuss this plan while we eat, if you want." Jon knew she had purposely changed the subject, but he decided to let it slide for now as he nodded his head to answer her question.

"Sure, we can do it that way."

Chasity led Jon into the small kitchen area. She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a frying pan while Jon sat down at the table. "Are you okay with homemade waffles with bacon and toast," Chasity questioned as she pulled out a waffle iron. Jon shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm up for anything you feel like making." Chasity was content with that answer as she grabbed the box of waffle mix and began preparing breakfast for them.

Jon just sat and watched Chasity walk around the kitchen preparing their breakfast. It wasn't that he didn't want to help her; he would have if he had been asked, or if he knew where anything was located in her kitchen, but without being asked, and without knowing where anything is, he wouldn't have had a clue how to help her. So instead he just watched. However, watching her did show him how domestic she was; despite the fact she wasn't in a relationship, she wasn't married, she didn't yet have any children, and she, like him, had grown up in a messed up circumstance. Maybe it was because she's pregnant, or maybe she had always been this way, and he just never noticed before. One thing he knew was if this was any indication, and if he still knew her like he thought he did, that adoption agency meeting would be for naught because she'd never go through with giving up her own child. That was just Chasity. Or at least, that was the Chasity Jon use to know.

But he had a feeling she was still the same person she had always been; just older and a little bit wiser now.

Jon was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't realize he had been staring at her until she called his name and waved her hand in his face. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you okay over there? You look like you're off in another world, or something." Jon chuckled nervously.

"I guess I zoned out a little bit, sorry." Chasity waved him off.

"It's fine. Your facial expression was just comical. But anyway I was gonna ask you if you could set the table. Breakfast will be ready in a couple of minutes." Jon nodded.

Jon stood from the table. "Sure. Where do you keep your dishes," he questioned.

Chasity directed Jon around the kitchen to all the needed utensils, and by the time he had the table completely set she had their food on the plates and was ready to serve it. "Team work gets things done much quicker," Jon said as he sat down across from Chasity. She laughed.

"You would know about team work, wouldn't you?" Jon knew it was a rhetorical question, so he left it unanswered and just laughed, shaking his head.

They started out eating in silence before Chasity finally broke it. "So, how exactly do you want to carry out this plan? This is all brand new to me. I've never had anyone ever help me out financially like this." Jon swallowed the food in his mouth and took a swig of the orange juice they each had in front of them.

"Well, we can go one of a few different ways. You can let me know when each bill is due, I give you the money, and you pay the bill on your own, or another option is for you to give me all the bills when they come in, and I'll pay them, or our third and final option is to switch everything into my name, so I'll get the bills, and I'll just pay them as they come in. Then once you have finally found a job and get back on your feet we switch everything back to your name." Jon gave her a moment to process all three options as he took another bit of is waffle, chewed and swallowed. "I'll leave it up to you which of the three you want to go with. Think about it, let me know either later today before I leave here, or I can call you in the morning before I leave for the airport." Chasity nodded as she continued to maul over the options in her head.

* * *

As Chasity loaded the dishwasher she continued to contemplate her options. The apartment was quiet, but Jon hadn't left yet. He had gone into the living room to give her a little time and space. He knew this was a lot for her to digest; especially in such a short period of time. First she ended up pregnant thanks to some plan by a douche bag; then she bumped into him and unexpected quit her job; he offers to help her get on her feet because he can do so financially… to say her head was spinning was an understatement. And to top that off, she still had to go to the meeting with the adoption agency, that she knew was probably pointless because there was no way she was going to be able to give up her baby. This was all one big, huge mess.

She placed the last dish into the dishwasher and glanced at the clock. She was beginning to run short on time. She had to leave her place in a half hour to make it to the adoption agency on time, and she still had to get rid of Jon. Walking into the living room she saw him flipping through channels on her TV. "Hey Jon, I have to get going soon, but I guess we can meet up again after I'm done with this meeting. That is, if you want to." Jon shrugged.

"Why don't I come with you? You're gonna need all the moral support you can get right now. I promise I won't give my two cents unless you request it. I just want to support you right now." Chasity knew he disagreed with what she was contemplating doing, but she also knew he was being sincere when he said he wouldn't say a word unless she asked him to, so she nodded her head. He was also right when he said she could use all the moral support she could get right now.

They walked out to the car and climbed in. "You know, this isn't going to be an easy meeting, right," Chasity questioned. Jon nodded. "You also know I'm likely going to cry when I can't come to a decision even after the meeting ends, right?" Again, Jon nodded. "Are you sure you want to help me with this? Look, I'm thankful you want to help financially; even though I don't even want that, but are you sure you're ready to handle the emotional basket case I'm sure to become after this meeting is over? If not, get out of the car now. I'm serious, Jon. I can handle being a basket case on my own, but if you're going with me, and it's for support, you're gonna have to handle it, too."

"I'm prepared to do whatever you need me to do, Chas. Look, I know you aren't sure if you're keeping this baby, but if you're anything like you were back in high school, you and I both know that baby's not going anywhere, no matter how many options you exhaust. You're gonna need all the support you can get right now, and I'm going to make sure you get it; financially and morally. Now come on, let's go get this meeting over with."

Chasity just nodded her head and turned the key in the ignition waiting for the car to turn over. She was shocked at how well Jon remembered her, and he was absolutely right. She hadn't changed much since high school, and the chances of her giving up this baby were next to zero, but she had to exhaust every option to be sure she couldn't do it; to make sure motherhood was the best one of all her options.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note: Any adoption information provided in this chapter was found via google, so I'm not positive it's all 100% accurate, but I did do my best to make it as accurate and realistic as possible. Hopefully I did a good enough job.  
**

**Okay, now that that's out of the way, onto the chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Jon followed Chasity into the adoption agency building and up to the receptionist's desks. "Hi, I'm Chasity Gains. I'm here for an appointment with Monica Wilson." The receptionist gave her a warm smile.

"You can have a seat and I'll let Ms. Wilson know you're here." Chasity smiled back at her and nodded before turning and walking over to a group of chairs in the waiting area and sat down. Following her lead, Jon sat down next to her.

Ms. Wilson walked into the waiting room shortly after and smiled at Chasity. "Hello, Ms. Gains. You can follow me, and we'll sit in a private area to discuss your adoption options." Chasity stood to follow Ms. Wilson when she noticed Jon attempting to stand, too. Making eye contact with him she shook her head.

"No Jon, you stay out here." Now it was Jon's turn to shake his head at her.

"No, I told you I was coming with you for moral support, and therefore I'm coming back there with you. I told you I'll keep quiet unless you ask me for advice, and I'll stand by that, but I refuse to wait out here. You don't have to like it you just have to tolerate it." Chasity groaned, knowing she wasn't going to win this argument she quietly followed Ms. Wilson down the hallway to her office, Jon following behind her.

Ms. Wilson sat down and motioned to the chairs across from her. Chasity and Jon took a seat as Ms. Wilson began pulling up different documents on her laptop. "Okay, so if you were to decide to put your baby up for adoption you would be required to fill out the preliminary paperwork. That just basically means you're signing up with us, so it'd be all your basic information." Chasity nodded, signaling she understood. "After that, you'll have to look at different profiles of couples looking to adopt and choose the family you want your baby to end up with." Again, Chasity nodded, letting Ms. Wilson know she was still with her. "Once you've chosen a couple of families you think would be the right fit, you'll get to interview each family at different times and select the family you think will be the best fit for your child. Then you can set up your hospital plan and post-placement agreement. That means you're setting up the family to be there during the birth to see the baby once it's born. Are you still with me?" Chasity just nodded, staying silent. "Alright, after the hospital plan it becomes a waiting game. The next step is giving birth, and after the birth you have up to forty-eight hours to complete the process by signing the consent form, consenting for the adoption to be completed. I know that was a lot of information to take in. You don't have to understand all of it today. You don't even have to remember it all today. Just try to remember the beginning. If you want to set up an adoption, you'll have to fill out the preliminary paperwork fairly soon."

Chasity tried to process all of that information, but Ms. Wilson was right, it was way too much to process in one sitting. "Can I ask a few questions?" Ms Wilson nodded.

"Sure, sweetheart, go ahead."

"After I give birth, does the baby go directly to the adoptive parents, or do I get a chance to say goodbye?"

"You'd have the chance to say goodbye. The forty-eight hour window for you to change your mind allows you to do anything you want within the forty-eight hours; including, obviously, reneging on the adoption all together." Chasity nodded. She knew she'd been doing that a lot, but what else could she do? There wasn't much she could say in this meeting as she was learning about all of this for the first time. Ms. Wilson broke her out of her thoughts with more information. "In most cases you'll be given the option to choose whether you want to partake in an open or closed adoption. All that means is if you choose an open adoption you'll get to interview and interact with the family up to and even through the birth. In most cases, the adoptive family even allows the birth mother to stay in the baby's life if they want to. They send you photos of the baby once or twice a year, so you can see how much the baby has grown and what they're up to in school, once they've reached the school age. In some cases, the families even become best friends, and birth mom becomes somewhat of an "aunt" to the baby," Ms. Wilson explained the open adoption process.

"Then on the other hand, you have a closed adoption. In a closed adoption you wouldn't get to choose the family, the agency would do it; which also means you wouldn't get to meet the chosen family. Which is why, in a lot of these cases, the mother's choose open adoptions," Ms. Wilson informed them.

* * *

Chasity was becoming a little overwhelmed with all the information, Jon could see it on her face. He kept his promise though, he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he grabbed her hand and squeezed, reminding her she wasn't here alone. He knew she would never be able to go through with this; whether she did an open adoption or closed, she'd never be able to complete the adoption, so it didn't matter. He could still remember the time back in high school where her cat had kittens. Her mom told her she had to give them away, but she never did; she couldn't. She fell in love with them within the first twenty-four hours, so she hid them from her mom and took care of them on her own. Her mother was so strung out it was easy to allow the cats to fly under the radar without her ever noticing. If Chasity couldn't give up furry little creatures she _didn't_ share blood with there wasn't any way she was going to be able to give up a baby that _was_ her own flesh and blood.

That sealed it. Jon decided right then and there that when she officially decided she wasn't putting the child up for adoption he would be there to help her. The child was gonna need some kind of father-figure, and while he had no idea what that was because he'd never had one himself, he knew he would still try his damndest to make sure this child had some type of male guidance; the guidance he never got. Every child deserves some type of father-figure in their life, and he always promised himself he'd be better father-figure than his father ever was for him. This could be his best chance. He wouldn't let his friend's child grow up like they had.


End file.
